Beauty and the Beast
by Fille des Fleurs
Summary: Tifa decides to host a Halloween party at 7th Heaven, complete with the rest of the gang. Too bad Cloud is no where to be found. Hints of various Tifa pairings, mostly with Cloud. Takes place after AC. One-shot.


**A/N: Hey everybody! Demon here. I know it's after Halloween but I didn't get a chance to get this up any sooner. I wanted to keep everyone in character as much as possible and tried to make it for fun than scary. But anyhoo, I hope you all enjoy it! Feedback is much appreciated :)**

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Tifa smiled at the sight in front of her: dozens of her closest friends in the same place at the same time, dressed like complete idiots. She couldn't even recognize half of them. Nonetheless, she was enjoying herself. It was a nice to see 7th Heaven up and running again, and it was nice to see her friends too. Not to mention Halloween was one of her favorite holidays.

She occupied herself with wiping down the counter and continuing to serve punch and other drinks to the guests. The music playing was some sort of dance or rave music that Yuffie had picked out. Tifa gently bobbed her head to the beat and cleaned the counter a little more, wondering if she had missed a spot.

She was so preoccupied in cleaning that she didn't notice a small cloaked figure come around the counter and stand beside her. After a minute or so, the figure got tired of waiting and found a different way to get her attention.

"Boo!"

Tifa jumped and clutched her hand to her chest. She spotted the figure and glared, but once she realized who it was she broke out into a smile.

"You scared me, Denzel!"

He grinned sheepishly, making his fangs visible as she knelt down to his level, "I wanted to ask you something."

She smiled at his vampire costume, admiring how cute he looked, "And what would that be?"

"Have you seen Cloud?"

Tifa's expression turned into one of curiosity, "No. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen him all night."

Denzel shrugged, his cape lifting slightly off of the ground, "Me either."

She tapped her chin before turning back to Denzel, "Well you let me know when you find him, okay?"

Denzel nodded and smiled, his fangs showing once more, "Got it!"

Tifa let a peaceful smile appear on her face as she watched Denzel disappear into the crowd of people. She looked around for Cloud, but didn't see his spiky blonde head anywhere. She mentally slapped herself. Of course she wouldn't see it; he was probably wearing a costume. Tifa frowned. She didn't even know what kind of costume he was wearing. She had been so busy putting up decorations and getting herself, Marlene, and the bar ready for the party she hadn't even spoken to Cloud. She felt terrible.

Tifa stood up again, being careful not to allow her skirt to ride up too much. She had chosen to be a pirate, which wasn't so bad except for the fact that the skirt was a bit too short for her liking. She pulled the ripped edges down a bit, hoping to cover more of her legs, but it didn't help much. She sighed and pulled up her corset a bit more and adjusted the sleeves that hung off her shoulders. She ran a hand through her hair and wondered if this costume was really a good idea or not.

She could almost imagine Aeris telling her how good the costume looked and to think of all the hot men she would be picking up. Too bad she only had one guy in mind…

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Tifa resumed looking around the room for anyone she knew. She saw two people approaching her. One was wearing a light blue suit with a matching hat, shielding his eyes and face from view. He also walked with a cane and Tifa could see him tip his hat at all the women he walked by. Jewelry adorned his neck and fingers. She assumed he was a pimp, or something of the like. The other person had fake, or at least she hoped it was fake, blood across his face and it also covered his tattered and torn clothes. He also appeared bald, with various cuts and scrapes across his head and entire body. He was a zombie, maybe? She wondered who the two men were until the "pimp" lifted up his head and she caught a flash of red hair.

Reno and Rude.

She subconsciously pulled down on her skirt and smiled at the two as a greeting. Reno tipped his hat, much like he had with all the other women, and Rude simply nodded.

"Why hello there, Tifa. Lovely seeing you here."

Tifa gave Reno a strange look, "Well, this is my party, after all."

Reno gave her a lopsided grin, "I know that. Just play along, will ya? I got to keep up my appearance and all."

He gestured to his outfit and turned around to wink at a scantily clad girl walking by to prove his point, "See?"

Tifa shook her head, but couldn't hide the fact that she was amused, "Sometimes I wonder about you, Reno."

Rude, who actually wasn't wearing glasses for once, rolled his eyes, "Me too."

She smiled warmly at Rude before turning back to Reno, "Is that all you wanted?"

Reno shrugged, "Yep. Just thought it'd be nice to come over and say 'hey' to the beautiful hostess."

Tifa turned away, embarrassed yet flattered by his compliment, before looking up again, "Well thanks."

Reno gave her a genuine smile rather than his normal sneaky grins and lifted up her hand to kiss it before he and Rude went off to do their own thing, "My pleasure."

Tifa playfully rolled her eyes when Reno sent her a wink and watched the two leave. She ran a hand through her hair again and decided to mingle with the guests for a while. It was the least she could do, since Cloud was no where to be found. Plus, she was the hostess. Didn't that make it her job? Sort of?

Tifa almost jumped when she felt something poking her leg. She looked down to see Marlene, in her pink princess outfit with her hair done in a braided ponytail and a small pink ribbon around it. She was poking Tifa with her finger.

She resisted the urge to squeal and hug the girl, "Yes, Marlene?"

"Have you seen Cloud?"

_Popular person tonight_…she thought. "No I haven't. I've been looking for him myself."

Marlene huffed and put her white gloved hands on her hips, "Well if you find him let me know."

Tifa snorted a laugh as Marlene half-stormed off in search of Cloud. The girl could be a firecracker, sometimes. Yet, she was so irresistibly cute. Her costume, which she strongly told Tifa exactly what she wanted to look like, reminded her so much of the good times.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see Barret.

Tifa resisted to urge to laugh when she saw his sailor costume. She couldn't help but spluttering, "You kept that?!"

Barret narrowed his eyes, "Well, yeah. I told ya it was comfy. I thought I could get some use out of it still."

Tifa chuckled, "Sorry, um, was there something you wanted?"

Barret looked thoughtful for a moment, "Oh yeah! You ran outta punch. Though you'd like to know 'bout it."

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll get on that right away."

Barret nodded before turning and walking from wherever he came from. Tifa shook her head and laughed. Cloud was right; he did look like a bear wearing a marshmallow. Though Tifa didn't understand how a bear could possibly wear a marshmallow or why a bear would want to wear a marshmallow. Some things were better left unknown.

Tifa made her way back over to the bar to make more punch. After mixing it all together, she chose to lean on the counter and rest her hand in her palm. She spotted Nanaki sitting next to a wall and Cait Sith standing next to him. The latter was dressed up in a tiny cowboy outfit, with Nanaki appearing to be a chocobo that he would ride on, if the yellow feather headdress was any indication. Tifa couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Nanaki didn't seem to mind how strange he looked, though. Guests were walking over and talking to him and petting him and Cait Sith quite a bit. They probably enjoyed the social interaction. She let her gaze continue to wander around the room. She was still curious as to where Cloud went.

A few minutes passes of Tifa thinking about Cloud before she was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. She stood up straight and saw Yuffie standing before her with her hands on her hips, similar to Marlene earlier. The only difference was the costume. Yuffie was dressed as a witch. It appeared as though she colored her hair green or was wearing a wig with a glittering black witch hat on top. Her dress came down to the middle of her thighs but had a slant going up the right side. A buckle was around the middle, accentuating her small waist. The dress was black and rather form fitting, Tifa thought.

"You need to stop standing there and get out and socialize!"

Tifa sighed, "I tried that already, Yuffie. I just feel like resting for a little while."

"You can rest tomorrow! For now let's party!"

Before Tifa could reply, Yuffie skirted around the counter and grabbed Tifa's hand, pulling her along. She tried to resist, but the younger girl was stronger than she appeared. Tifa mentally cringed when she noticed where Yuffie was taking her.

"Yuffie I really don't want to-"

"Oh come on!"

The two were standing on the edge of the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. Tifa was really not in the mood to dance, nor did she think she had any rhythm. She looked like a cardboard box when she tried to dance.

Or so she thought.

Yuffie wasn't having any of it, "I don't care! You are dancing no matter what!"

"Yuffie-"

"I will not take no for an answer! Now, I will go find you a dance partner…"

Tifa looked mortified, "No! That's really not necessary!"

Yuffie tilted her head, "Oh but it is! Don't worry, I won't make it anyone bad."

Tifa stared pleadingly after Yuffie as she walked away. She stood in a group of people whom she didn't recognize at all. The group didn't seem to notice she was there, much to Tifa's relief. She scanned the room, looking for Yuffie and spotting her in the corner talking to Vincent. Tifa frowned. Was Yuffie really doing this?

Also to Tifa's relief, Vincent remained quiet and shook his head at Yuffie. Tifa was secretly a little offended at the thought of someone not wanting to dance with her, like any girl would, but she was sure Vincent said no because, well, that's Vincent. He doesn't do many…social things.

Tifa was about to walk out of the crowd but ran into someone and stumbled back.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Whoever she ran into chuckled, "It's alright."

She looked up to see Cid. He appeared dressed up as a…pilot?

"Isn't that a little original for a costume, Cid?" she playfully scolded.

Cid shook his head, "Not at all!"

"But you're a pilot."

"Your point is?"

"You dress like a pilot everyday."

"Well, yes. But at least I don't look like a fool on Halloween, huh?"

Tifa shrugged, "You got me there."

Cid smiled triumphantly, but his glory was short lived when someone dancing nearby stepped on his foot.

His face twisted in pain, "Mother of-What the %!& is that?! Watch where you're going, you &^$!"

Tifa's mouth twitched at the corners. Cid never changed.

"You want some ice for that?" she asked.

Cid had a scowl on his face and shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine. I just…had a moment there."

"You'll be fine?" Tifa questioned, unconvinced.

"Yeah. Well, I'll be off now. I'll just go get some…punch."

Tifa smiled, "Alright. See you later!"

Cid nodded and walked off to, apparently, go get some punch. Tifa sighed and tried to escape the "dance floor" but to no avail, as she was stopped by a furry, clawed hand on her wrist.

She turned around, curious as to who could possibly be. Whoever it was, they were wearing a wolf mask/headpiece and torn pants and a shirt. What part of them wasn't covered in clothing or the wolf headpiece was covered in fake fur. Or Tifa thought it was fake, anyway. They also had claws on their hands and fangs coming out of the front part of the wolf's face.

Tifa assumed whoever this person was, it was a guy, and he was werewolf. She was a bit surprised when he started to tug her in the direction of the dance floor. She wanted to escape, not go back there, especially when it was someone she didn't know taking her there.

Tifa looked around helplessly. She found Yuffie, who was grinning at her mischievously. She looked at Yuffie questioningly, but the witch, literally in this case, just kept smiling. She probably sent this person to dance with Tifa.

Knowing that it was no hope, Tifa gave up her struggle and let the werewolf-stranger take her to the middle of the floor. Once she felt him stop and let go of her wrist, she looked anywhere but the stranger. She didn't even notice him take off his headpiece and toss it aside.

"Tifa."

Tifa looked up at the sound of her name and was shocked to find that the stranger had taken off part of their costume and was no longer a stranger.

She gasped, "Cloud?"

He nodded and Tifa let a small smile appear on her lips, "Marlene and Denzel were looking everywhere for you."

"I know."

"Did you find out what they wanted then?"

Cloud sighed, "Yeah."

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, slightly worried.

Cloud shook his head, "Nothing."

"Oh," Tifa looked around, thinking of something to break the somewhat awkward silence between them, "so, I never thought you would be a werewolf, of all things."

He shrugged, "I didn't know what else to be."

Tifa smiled, "Well I think you look nice."

"Thanks."

She looked around again, mentally scolding herself for not being able to think of anything to say. Again.

"So, um, why did you bring me out here?" she asked.

It was Cloud's turn to look around, "That's what they wanted."

"Huh?"

"Marlene and Denzel. That's what they wanted."

"You to dance?" Tifa asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"Well that's strange, but why am I out here?"

"They wanted me to dance. With you."

Tifa's eyes widened a bit and a slow song suddenly started playing. She glanced over and saw Yuffie by the stereo, the shit-eating grin she was wearing earlier still present. Was Yuffie in on this too?

Everyone around the two suddenly had someone else and were slow dancing. Tifa gulped nervously. It wasn't that she didn't want to dance with Cloud because well, she really did. She just didn't know if Cloud wanted to dance with her. That and the though of Cloud touching her and being in such close proximity…

"Tifa?"

She looked up again at the mention of her name, "Yeah?"

Cloud looked down at her, his face void of emotion, like usual, "Would you like to dance?"

Tifa swore her heart skipped a beat. She tried to remain calm and swallowed rather loudly, "Uh, sure."

Cloud tilted his head a bit, waiting to Tifa to step closer. He didn't appear uncomfortable at all. In fact, he looked indifferent to the situation, which only made Tifa more nervous.

And he looked so much cuter when his head was tilted like that…

Tifa took a deep breath and put her arms around Cloud's neck while he placed his still clawed hands on her hips.

She took this time to notice that her costume was malfunctioning, just as it had been all night. Her chopped leather skirt had ridden up again and her corset had fallen down a bit. She just hoped that Cloud didn't notice.

Much to Tifa's surprise, Cloud's eyes weren't anywhere near her legs or even her chest. They were trained on her face. When she took a glance into his mako-infused eyes, she was forced to look away. It was too much for her.

After a couple minutes of what Tifa thought to torturous, the song stopped. Tifa loosened her grip on Cloud's neck only to have him tighten his grip on her hips.

"It's not over yet."

Confusion showed on her features, "Huh?"

Before she could say anything else, another song started to play. This one even slower and more romantic-sounding than the last. Tifa mentally cringed. Again. Would it ever end?

Did she want it to end?

Taking a peek at her surroundings, Tifa noticed that the couples had sudden all gotten closer to each other. Women were leaning their heads on the men's chests and other men were gazing affectionately into the eyes of their dance partners. Tifa smiled dreamily, wanting what those other women had. She wanted someone to love her like that. She wanted someone to hold her, to look at her like that.

Tifa sighed. Who knew when that day would come.

Drawing her attention back to Cloud, she noticed that they were much closer than before. Her chest was almost touching Cloud's and his head was hanging lower, closer to hers. Tilting her head up caused their foreheads to touch, and instead of pulling away, Cloud rested his head on hers and continued to watch her.

Tifa swore she saw an amused glint in his eye and a ghost of a smile on his face at her reaction to being so close to him.

Must be his Zack side. Who said he ever got rid of that?

The two swayed back and forth, and the longer they danced the more comfortable Tifa got with being close to Cloud. At one point, the fur on his costume started to tickle Tifa's legs, causing her to giggle. She was sure that she saw Cloud smile. If that wasn't enough, he purposely pulled her closer so that her chest was touching his, and his "furry" legs brushed against hers. Again. This caused her to giggle. Again.

This time she knew that Cloud was smiling, and he made no point of hiding it. Guessing that she wasn't going to get any more comfortable around him and the song would be ending soon, Tifa took a chance by resting her head on his chest much like the other couples were doing. She moved her hands down to Cloud's back so it was more like she was hugging him than choking him.

Cloud took this as a sign to wrap his arms around Tifa's back and resting his head on hers. Tifa took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. She wondered if Cloud was actually enjoying himself or if he was just doing this for the sake of Denzel and Marlene. Or maybe he was even just doing it for Tifa herself. The more Tifa thought about it, the more she doubted Cloud was liking dancing with her. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it.

It wasn't long after Tifa closed her eyes that she heard her name being called.

"Tifa?"

She lifted her head off of Cloud's chest to see him looking down at her, a small smile visible on his features.

"You started to doze off."

Tifa felt her face get warm under his gaze, "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I didn't mind."

She stared at him, caught off guard, "Really?"

"Yeah."

When Cloud said nothing more, Tifa took that as a sigh to let go. Nevertheless, she was curious when Cloud didn't. He only held on to her tighter.

"We're not done yet."

Tifa looked at him, "But the song ended-"

Just as she said that, another song started playing. Tifa stood unmoving.

"Well a new one just started."

Tifa was silent, as was Cloud. Cloud being quiet was no surprise, but Tifa usually had something to say.

Not under these conditions.

"This kind of reminds me of Beauty and the Beast," Cloud said randomly.

Tifa let out a small laugh, "How so?"

Cloud shrugged, "I'm all furry. Like the Beast."

Tifa shook her head, "You don't look like Quasimodo."

"I do."

"No you don't."

Cloud nodded.

Tifa shook her head.

Cloud let that tiny smile appear on his face again, "Deny it all you want, but I won't listen."

"Why not?"

"Because people will always think I'm some kind of monster. They won't accept me because I'm not human like they are."

"Cloud-"

"I'm not. You can't change it; no one can. That's just the way I am."

"But people will learn to accept you. Just like all of us. Just like me."

Cloud watched her with his own curiosity, "Just like you?"

Tifa felt her face get warm again, "I-I meant-"

"I know what you meant."

Tifa sighed out of relief, "You do?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, appearing closer to Tifa than he was moments ago, "and that's why you're my Beauty."

Tifa nearly melted. She was so caught up in her, well, "melting" that she didn't notice how close Cloud's face was to hers.

Maybe her minds was playing tricks on her, since it was Halloween after all, but she thought she saw Cloud smile. Actually smile, teeth and all. But it was only for a brief moment. Right before his lips met hers.

He kissed her.

Cloud really kissed her.

Tifa could've fainted. Of course she didn't, considering that would make her look like a fool and she would miss out on what she had been waiting to receive for a long time.

As unusual (and somewhat cheesy) as that sounded, it was true.

The kiss didn't last long, but long enough for Tifa to get weak it in the knees. How cliché.

Once Cloud pulled away she could do nothing but hold onto him and smile up at him, her new found confidence showing through, "So when will you grow tired of dancing with me?"

Cloud's eyes locked onto hers, "Never."


End file.
